Ford Mustang Mach-E Review

Motors and Performance

The Mach-E has a variety of power options that range from quick to indecent. Even the entry-level, Select RWD gets 266bhp and will do 0-62mph in 7.4 seconds, while the Premium RWD gets 290bhp for a 7.0 seconds sprint time, and the dual-motor, Premium AWD Mach-E manages 346bhp and 5.8 seconds. There's also the Mach-E GT, if you want the full-fat, drag-race worthy version, which does the 62mph run in 3.7 seconds.

It comes as no surprise, then, that the Mach-E has no shortage of performance. Even the least powerful version is punchy, and smooth throttle response and brake feel also helps to make every Mach-E a confident drive whether you're enjoying a good road or just pottering through traffic. While the all-wheel drive model is substantially faster and has a real urgency to the way it exits corners and responds to a prod of the throttle, we prefer the slightly more calm and relaxing power delivery of the rear-wheel drive models. Having said that, if you regularly deal with slippery road surfaces and are concerned about winter conditions making your area hard to access then the four-wheel drive model could be the better shout.

We wouldn't recommend the GT unless you desperately want that extra straight-line pace. While the speed is fun, the Premium AWD feels almost as gutsy in real-world use, and is a lot cheaper, so the GT is a very hard one to recommend.

Like most other electric cars, the Mach-E has three driving modes to match your mood or the amount of electricity you can afford to use. But instead of the usual Sport/Normal/Eco naming, Ford’s marketing brains have sat around a mood board and come up with the alternatives ‘Whisper’, ‘Active’ and ‘Untamed’. We cringed a bit, but perhaps you’ll think its genius. 

Unleash the Untamed mode and the car is noticeably more responsive to inputs to the throttle and steering wheel and a fake V8 engine noise. Perfect for the Playstation generation, but not so good for cynics who might find it all a little gimmicky.

When it comes to stopping, the Mach-E wipes off speed effortlessly, with no hint that this is a heavy car. But we did find the one pedal regen' mode wasn't quite strong enough at times, as we had to occasionally resort to the brake pedal at the last moment. 

Drive and Handling

With the Mustang badge on its rump, there's some real pressure on the Mach-E to handle well. Thankfully, it does. In many ways it really does feel like driving a Mustang as you look down that long bonnet, and because the huge batteries sit under the floor, the centre of gravity is lower and it feels stable and sporty. The engineers have calibrated unique settings for the shock absorbers, springs, anti-roll bars, steering and powertrain specifically for Europe’s narrow, more twisty roads and higher speed limits and it shows, so the Mach-E doesn’t feel wallowy like many American cars. Even through quick direction changes, the Mach-E feels well controlled, although the steering feels a little strange and inconsistent in the way it's weighted, becoming weirdly heavy when turned away from the straight-ahead position.

What is odd is that the Mach-E GT isn't really any more fun than the standard cars. The steering is still odd, and while it gets adaptive suspension there's not much noticeable benefit in ride or handling finesse. Don't get us wrong, the GT is still fun - as is any Mustang Mach-E. But for the price, and given that the 'lesser' models are just as good to drive, the GT is tricky to justify.

​You get used to it, but ride comfort may be an issue. From launch, the Mach-E was really quite firm and jarring, but in early 2022 there was some suspension fettling behind the scenes to improve ride comfort pliancy, and it did make a big difference. Now, the Mustang is still a firm car but it's more controlled and not so crashy. Given the trade-off in handling panache, most wanting this sporty electric car will be okay with it, although we'd recommend sticking to smaller wheel size.​